La rueda de la fortuna
by XeedGuilmon
Summary: Ryo is trying to get a date with a Hanagumi... Things go south from there, and a guest star from Mari's father. Dun dun DUN!


With a slight strum of the guitar he made another lyric for the song he's working on before doing another few verses. In the last three days he has been busy on this one song that he was doing for a special occasion that has in the works for the last few weeks, he grumbled as he discard the lyric to start again. He strum the guitar again and written down more lyrics, seems better then before so he tried for more. This seems to be writing itself.  
"What'cha writing?" Zen looked over his shoulder, he raised a brow at the black haired young man. "Dude, please don't tell me you're doing another _homage_ to White snake?"

"No, I'm not. This is just... something personal," Ryo strum the guitar again for a few seconds, "and it was Journey, that song was a homage to _Journey_."

"You sure?" Zen took a seat on his bed while picking up a popular newsletter for J-rock bands, he leaf through it for a moment as Ryo worked on his riffs. Peaking over the edge of the paper he couldn't help but wonder what is his band-_slash_-team mate is doing, the rythem has been kind of slow but yet upbeat. "So, what's with that song you've been working on?"

"Just something for maybe a B side."

Zen read for a moment, "thinking of the next album?"

"Yeah, a little bit." Ryo smiled, he just got the perfect setting, now he just needs the words for it.

"There isn't going many people that will buy it after Hao is shaman king," Zen decided to go over the paper again. "Because all of the humans will be wiped out, you know."

"Yeah," Ryo written something down. "But on the bright side that means a lot less competition on the charts."

"True, true." Zen put down the newsletter, he grabbed the patch personal ads from the table that Ryo was laying his feet on, a few minutes passed. "So what's with the song you've been working on?"

"Didn't you just asked that?" A few more adjustments to it, Ryo smiled as this would be perfect.

"Just wondering."

"I'm just... _doodling_ in a sense," Ryo mental played the tune over in his head. This will work, this is the first prong of his love assault. "Like you do sometimes."

_Single white female looking for a stranger in the night,_ Zen made a mental note as he reached for a pen that Ryo took. He shot him a dirty look but the black hair man didn't noticed, looking at the ad he read _seeks single female_ underneath it. A bit disappointed he shifted his attention to _Desperate woman will go out with **ANYONE**_, Zen took note that the address was at X-L HQ.  
Licking his finger and making a wet ring around the ad he sat there for a moment, "so, what's with the song you've been working on?"

There was a sharp scream of aggression as Peyote, who was sitting in his corner working on some masks for day of the dead despite it being months away and groaning each time each of his team mates spoke, shot up and tossing his hard work over the table. "You IDIOTS! I can't stand this any more, it's a freaking love song. Read his discarded notes, they have some of the most idiotic rhymes I have ever seen."

Ryo and Zen stared at him as the Mexican man caught his breath, they looked at each other. "So, What _is_ with the song you've been working on?"

Another scream of aggression escaped Peyote. "You two are hopeless, waste of skin!" with that he stormed out of the room. Leaving them, Ryo just smiled as he finished the song. Ryo strum his guitar when the string broke, in a way he felt that fate hates him.

(-)

"Mari's bored."

Her target fell to the ground in a bloody heap of shredded clothes and flesh, Macchi was next to her with a big smile on her face. They had taken care of the most dangerous member of the opposing team, now it was up to Kanna to rid of the two weaker followers. With one attack they both fell, this was barely a warm up for them.  
"Mari's bored," the Gothic lolita said as their team was declared winner. She followed the two as she took a fast glance behind, she hadn't stopped nor slowed down but she saw him there...

"Hey, Mari." Macchi snapped her fingers before her's friend's face, "what are you looking at?" Mari gave her look at her for a moment but just turned her focus forward without a reply.  
Walking out of the battle stadium they stuck together as they headed back to the small complex for shaman fighters when they saw a very steam Peyote walking around the corner, he was babbling something about Ryo's idiotic love song and Zen's spastic brain. The Hanagumi was excepting just to walk by him without more than a sharp glance, what happened was Peyote just walked right up to them and began to shouting random insults.

Kanna stood there for a few seconds, taking a few puffs on a cigarette unfazed as the insults came. Mari and Macchi were confused by this situation, Kanna held a hand to signal them to wait a second than she snapped her fingers.  
Peyote was shrieking like a castrated cat when Ashcroft had appear and aimed right between the legs of the panicking shaman with the lance. "Alright," Kanna said with a calm tone. "Why are you insulting us?"

"Because of some damn woman Ryo is up there making some pretty sickening love songs," Peyote slowly manage to move out of the range of Ashcroft's lance. "From what I gathered, it involves a Hanagumi, logical thought point _you_ at fault." The three looked at each other then at Peyote, he was flung by Ashcroft into the air several blocks away.

"Ryo is in love with Kanna?" Macchi and Mari said in union, in mere seconds they were laughing it up as Kanna stood there with a slight tick.

"When is the wedding, Kamishiro-san?" Macchi laughed, "I hope that I'm the bride's maid."

"Mari can't picture the kid," Jack and Chuck suddenly appeared with a messy art of a "Ryona" child. The two girls looked at it then just laughed even harder, if that was possible.

Kanna just stood there, slowly stewing in her anger. "Ashcroft," with that her oversoul had picked up and flung the two down the street. Now she just had to deal with the fact of what Peyote had said, somewhere Ryo was (or had) written a song for her.  
Maybe instead of sending the man to the stars she should have thanked him for the heads up, but it was a bit late for that. Now she just has to ether confront Ryo or avoid him until he gets the hint, both have equal draw backs because the man is just too thick. She could lay low around him, she already doesn't see him so she might as well do the void thing.

Shrugging it all off she just walked on as if nothing was wrong.

(-)

"Alright, now it's ready." Ryo had written it all down, he felt a strong feeling of accomplishment but now there was some new obstacles to over come. Like how to present this, or should he even do so. Maybe ask her out on a date first, perhaps he should use this song as a why to ask her out on the date.  
He needs advice, maybe he should as his best friend who was just sitting there several feet away. Couldn't hurt, just do the opposite of his advice. "Ya' got a minute?"

"Yep," Zen folded up the paper.

"What would you do for an attempt for a first date?"

"Ah, you trying to woo the persuasion of the opposite sex with a gentle song, eh?" Zen spoke with a very fake (and highly irritating) French accent. "First, you take zee lady to some place like the canyon,second you hold her very tightly as you ravish her with zee kisses and tell her you love her every two seconds. And finally you get them drunk of expensive wine, and scatter roses all over the place."

"Right, well thanks." Ryo stood up and walk towards the door, once outside he sighed. "Idiot."

(-)

Asakura Hao didn't stay in one area, which makes finding him when you need him harder. But while this confuses the X-laws and other enemies, it was a pain for a minion to find him. But he lucked out, Hao was near the canyon looking all prestigious and majestic as he used a stone as a stepping stone. He kind of looked like something out of a classic painting, give him a red cape and a saber he could be a bullfighter.  
Ryo was a bit impressed and wonder if he shouldn't bother him with such trivial matters but Hao's eyes spotted him and felt like they were drilling into his soul.

"H-hello, oh great Hao-sama." Ryo stammered a bit, he began to really panic when the spirit of fire appeared. He fell to his hands and knees, "I asking for dating advice, I'm sorry to bother you!"

Hao looked down at him for a moment, his expression unchanged. "So you want to receive dating advice, you have come to the right place."

"Thank you, Hao-sama."

"Please stop that," Hao step down from the hand of the Spirit of fire onto the ground. "Now, one must always remembers the fundamentals of romance and love."  
He walked up to Ryo, "first one must compliment how their eyes look. Like when I complimented Macchi's blue eyes last week, I never quite seen a reaction like that."

"Um, I hate to correct you master o' furyuku." Ryo said with a bit of fear as Hao shot him a glance, "but Macchi has Lilac eyes."

Hao was thoughtful for a moment, it would explain why Macchi has been giving her the silent treatment since then. "Well, I'll just make it up to her for her birthday."

"Um, Hao-sama. Macchi's birthday was _last_ week, it was probably when you said she has nice blue eyes." Hao just stood there as he stared at Ryo while he, in turn, stared back, blinking only a few times.

"You might want to find someone else for love advice."

"Yeah," Ryo slowly backed away as Hao went into Patch village to fix what he had done. Now who was he going to ask about getting her to date him?

"Need love advice?"

Ryo jumped near a full inch, Mikihisa was behind him acting like nothing was wrong. After Ryo manage to get over his heart attack he look up at Mikihisa, "are you, Hao-sama's father. Right?"

"In a sense yes," Mikihisa shrugged. "So, I understand you're in the search of love advice."

"Yeah, got any?"

Mikihisa thought about it for a moment, he tapped his finger on the beak of his mask while his mind went over every thing with his long marriage to Keiko. Finally, he came to a conclusion.  
"Never forget your son at the supermarket, or at least remember that he's on the roof of the car."

"That's no help!" Ryo grumbled as he walked away, Mikihisa took Hao's place on the stepping stone as he looked _epic_.

(-)

Kanna was at the market getting a carton of her cigarettes when she happen to see Ryo walk by the store, after a small tense moment and holding up the line she snuck outside.  
_Good, he doesn't see me._ She thought before going in the opposite direction, she was almost home free when Ryo noticed her and began to call her name. Mentally cursing she faced the black haired man, "hello Ryo."

"May I ask you about something?" Ryo looked around before leaning in close, making Kanna very nervous. "I need love advice, how do I get a girl to like me enough for a first date?"

"Like what?" Kanna backed away a little, "Flowers? A romantic dinner and that stuff?"

Ryo stopped for a moment, he thought about it. "Keep it simple, that's perfect. Thanks Kanna, I'll see you around." Kanna fell to the ground in a disheveled mess after he left. She left the cigarette fall out of her mouth, now the moron has a plan and he was actually determine enough to actually ask her advice before asking her out.

She figure just get through it, how bad can a date with Kamishiro Ryo really be? And what is in these cigarettes, she was actually considering going out with him?  
She need to hide until this blows over.

(-)

Ryo returned to his room to find Zen just sitting on the edge of his bed holding the paper with a look of disappointment, "hey."

"Yon, man." Zen said as he placed the paper onto the table, "when someone says they're desperate they better be _desperate_ or else that's false advertising." Ryo shrugged as he picked up the paper and flipped to the restaurant section, "what are you looking for?"

"Italian restaurants, I'm thinking of taking her to one after I ask her out." Ryo found there was only one place in the entire village, _Patch Cavaliere_. It got three stars so it couldn't be that bad, now he has a place, a song and the will he just need the Opening.  
By all logic since it's late and earlier the Hanagumi had a battle so they would be resting in their room, he decided it was now or never.

"Hey," Zen said as he got up. "Are you going to ask her out now?"

"Yeah, it beats just sitting here doing nothing but sit on my hands." He grabbed his guitar, strummed it a second before opening the door.

"Hang on, I want to see how this ends up." Zen picture a very funny picture of Kanna sicking Ashcroft on him, like when he asked her out on a date.  
Ryo ignored Zen's snickering as they headed out.

(-)

"How are you, Kamishiro-san?" Macchi smiled as Kanna glared at her while working on getting a lighter to work, it has been a full ten minutes since the older woman came back to the room and since the jokes had never ended.  
Even under threat of the lance they couldn't stop snickering and chuckling, somehow they heard about her encounter at the supermarket.

"Will you stop," Kanna snapped. "I would never, EVER date such a low class loser even if he's the last man on earth." As if there was some sick twist of fate, on that last word there was a knock at the door.

"I bet it's your boyfriend," Macchi smirked.

Kanna had enough of this, it was time to end this once and for all. She emitted an aura that would make Anna proud as she crossed the room, flinging the door open there stood Ryo and Zen, also known as _BoZ_, with their guitars and a thing of lilies in Ryo's hand.  
They both began to play slowly, Ryo on lead with Zen on backup. Kanna was going to open her mouth except they sang. Basically the song was reminiscent of _Mandy_ by Berry Manilow, in fact it _was_ Mandy with the exception of the name.

The Hanagumi stood frozen in their spot as they watch them finish, the love song wasn't meant for Kanna. Ryo smiled as he wave towards his love. He finally worked up the courage to ask her out, "Wantta go out, Mari?"

The three just stood there staring at him.  
"Mari's dad won't like it if she dated." Now all eyes were on her, "well, he will be angry even though they don't speak any more."

They just blinked, Kanna manage to speak after the shock has worn off a little. "You.. have a father?"

"Of course, doesn't everyone?" Mari snuggled Chuck a little, "he got Mari this doll when she was three."

"Well, were is your father." Macchi asked, "and this is one for the ages, who's you're daddy?"

"He often comes to the matches... Mari and he don't even talk any more and wonders if he is rooting for her demise or her victory as he is an X law." Mari shrugged, "ether way Mari doesn't care."

"That doesn't answer the question," Zen said.

"Well I'm not afraid of some half brain dead, gun toting zealot," Ryo stood proudly. "Come on, I will face him down right now. What does he look like?" There was a loud clicking sound, ten to one Mari's father was behind him.

"Hello, father." Mari said emotionless as everyone blinked, Marco said nothing as he unleashed the full wrath of _**gate of the father.**_

(-)

He strum his guitar lightly, he had learned a life lesson from that incident five days ago. One is it's hard to work anything with both arms in casts and two, always date an orphan.  
He wonder what Jeanne is doing.

()()()

This story is for the people at the SKN BBS, because they gave me some strange ideas.


End file.
